Do programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people leaving prison meet their health and social support needs?

Abstract

The objective of this review was to synthesise evidence on the health and social support needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people leaving prison and on programs which aid successful community re-entry. A systematic literature review was undertaken of peer-reviewed and grey literature published between 2001 and 2013, focusing on the post-release needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults and pre-and post-release programs. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have high health and social support needs on leaving prison. There is little literature evidence that re-entry programs commonly consider health needs, support linkages with primary care or Aboriginal Medical Services, or are designed in consideration of the particular needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. In the absence of evaluative evidence on re-entry programs in this group, we have synthesised the best practice recommendations. Re-entry programs must be culturally competent in design and delivery, holistic, take a longterm view, involve families and communities, demonstrate interagency coordination and promote linkages between prison and community-based services. There is an urgent need for accessible pre-and post-release programs which meet the particular needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including their health needs. Programs must be flexible, comprehensive and accessible to those on remand or with short sentences. Stronger linkage with primary care and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled health organisations is recommended.

Holistic Conceptualizations of Health by Incarcerated Aboriginal Women in New South Wales, Australia

“…A substantial body of research has shown that the increasing number of Aboriginal women in prison is partly explained by their high rates of return to custody (Bartels, 2012), poor ‘throughcare’ (the continuous and coordinated management of people’s needs from the point of entering custody through to release), and lack of post-release support (Abbott et al, 2018; Baldry, 2010; Heffernan, Andersen, Davidson, & Kinner, 2015a; Lloyd et al, 2015; Shepherd, Ogloff, & Thomas, 2016). Incarcerated Aboriginal women in NSW are significantly more likely to have been previously incarcerated in comparison with non-Aboriginal women, to experience re-incarceration within 12 months of release from prison, and to be in prison on remand (unsentenced) (New South Wales Government Justice Health & Forensic Mental Health Network, 2017).…”

Dreaming Inside: An evaluation of a creative writing program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men in prison

“…Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in prison experience high levels of mental health problems, not only as a result of their time in prison, but also as a result of the continuing negative impacts of colonisation on individuals, families and communities (Abbott et al., 2018). Comorbid substance and non-substance mental health diagnoses in prisoners, unless appropriately treated, can lead to a substantial increase in reoffending once released from prison (Smith & Trimboli, 2010).…”

Well-being and mental health interventions for Indigenous people in prison: systematic review

“…Such interventions tend to have higher participant engagement [47][48][49][50] and effectiveness. [51][52][53][54] Existing reviews of mental health interventions for prisoners or community offenders typically focus on the general population rather than on Indigenous or First Nations people, [55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62] and other reviews of interventions for vulnerable populations may include some Indigenous people or prisoners, but do not focus on Indigenous prisoners. [63][64][65][66] Only one Indigenous-specific review on prisoners was identified, but that focused on prisoners' needs when transitioning back to the community, rather than on interventions for Indigenous prisoners more generally.…”

“…[63][64][65][66] Only one Indigenous-specific review on prisoners was identified, but that focused on prisoners' needs when transitioning back to the community, rather than on interventions for Indigenous prisoners more generally. 55…”